Thursday, September 24, 2009

Centurion Cycling Announces USA Granfondo Series

September 24, 2009- VeloFondo has joined with North America Sports to create "Centurion Cycling", a series of granfondo events in the U.S.A. beginning in 2010. The first three granfondos are scheduled for July, 2010, in Boulder, Colorado; August, 2010 in Madison, Wisconsin; and September, 2010 in Mammoth Lakes, California.

"Centurion Cycling is North America’s most exciting, new bike adventure. It’s based on the European concept of gran fondos but with a distinctive twist unique to this side of the Atlantic.

In Europe, you can ride a gran fondo almost every weekend from March through September. They come in all shapes and sizes and attract riders of all abilities. Often, they are named for celebrated cyclists such as Gran Fondo Eddy Merckx, in Belgium, or for famous courses like the Nove Colli, or “nine hills”, in Italy.

Each Centurion has the look and feel of a European gran fondo. Traffic is restricted, technical and medical support are in the caravan, officials time and judge the event, food is excellent, and riders are treated like professional cyclists. The experience feels like riding in the Tour de France for a day.

What makes the Centurion Cycling brand revolutionary? We take the best of Europe’s storied gran fondos and add our own distinctive highlights. Centurion course distances are set at 100, 50 and 25 miles, challenging riders to develop time goals as runners do with marathons and half marathons. At the end of the season-long series, athletes who qualify compete in a championship event.

Courses are difficult – designed to appeal to the serious, competitive, recreational cyclist. However, our seeding process and a broad range of age and award categories encourage families and riders of all abilities to embrace the challenge. When course and closure conditions permit, we even add a time trial to appeal to individual athletic performers.

The Centurion Cycling series is contested over the most beautiful cycling terrain North America has to offer. Each course highlights the unique cycling in and around the host venue."